Page 94 of How I Met Your Murderer

There were several figures appearing on the landing, slowly manifesting more clearly as they drifted down into the foyer.

Brother Fintan was the first to reach us, the latest book in the Lady Arabella romance series tucked under his arm, his robes swishing around his ankles. “You two look after each other. Do things that would make me and Lady Arabella proud,” the monk said, kissing the air beside Eric’s cheeks, then mine. He put a gentle hand on each of our shoulders, and then he disappeared.

Not winking out of sight, but really vanishing. His sudden absence left a hollow in the air, and as I glanced sharply at Eric to confirm what I felt, he nodded solemnly.

While the elemental’s hold over this place was momentarily broken, the other spirits all had a chance to move on.

Liam Donnelly gave us a gruff wave and a nod. But just before he disappeared, he cracked a bright smile that made him look like a lad again.

Gráinne hugged us tight, and for the second time that evening, I found it hard to breathe.

We said our goodbyes to Muireann and Eilis and Donnacha, who had brought his old mare inside with him. To nervous but reliable Colmán and quiet Síle, the last of the castle’s spirits as far as I could recall without my notebook in front of me.

Síofra should have been with them. But just like Eric had told me earlier that night, we would remember her, and she would live on in us. Even if it felt like a small comfort right now. Even if my hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I walked Eric to the door and told him to take Caoimhe to the van, instructing the two of them to wait for me there while I made sure there were truly no frightened spirits lingering behind.

It was the least I could do to honor Síofra, even if I didn’t want to spend another second in this place. Seemingly alone, I went upstairs to fetch my overnight bag and phone that I had abandoned in room 2B, switching out of my uniform while I was at it. Once that was done, I limped through the castle corridors, trying my best to ignore the leering Halloween decorations. My knuckles oozed slightly as I made my sweep, and I finally began to feel every ache in my body as the adrenaline of the fight receded and left me cold.

Knowing I had Eric safe in the van was the only thing that kept me going. And, I realized, the Second Sight had once again only shown me half the picture when it gave me a glimpse of this moment. I couldn’t feel Eric in here anymore because he wasn’t bound to this place. He was free, and he had chosen me.

He was right where he was supposed to be.

Satisfied that the elemental was going to be very lonely whenever it gained the strength to manifest again, I hurried to the parking lot.

Still, it was hard to relax even as I slid behind the wheel of the van, Eric in the passenger’s seat, and Caoimhe cowering quietly in the back with my gear.

I’d feel better, I decided, when we were out of the shadow of Ardruin, the only place I knew that cast reaching shadows even in the small hours of the morning.

As I sped toward the flung-open gates tied with bouquets of pumpkin balloons that marked the edge of the property, I clocked Eric tensing from the corner of my eye and reached over, laying a hand on his leg.

He hadn’t been able to cross this boundary as a spirit. Part of him was still clearly afraid that he couldn’t do so now.

I squeezed his leg as we kept on rolling down the hill, breaking free, and Eric brought my hand to his lips and kissed my bloody knuckles before lapsing into quiet sobs of relief.

The lights of Ballycorven were twinkling in welcome in the distance when Eric finally broke the uneasy silence, sounding much more like the man I knew and loved. “Anyone else starving? Is anything open this late?”

I couldn’t help it—I laughed. After a moment, even Caoimhe joined in.

Of course, nothing was open at half past four in the morning in any part of Kerry. But when we finally parked at Caoimhe’s posh apartment on the far side of the village, she cooked us up a hot meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast with blackcurrant jam and heaps of butter while Eric and I got settled for the night in her spare bedroom.

While the bacon sizzled away in the pan, we could hear the soft sounds of her talking to Jordy on the phone, and we lingered in the room to give them a minute. I wrapped Eric in my arms and realized I was going to be the one who never tired of counting his heartbeats now.

“So what’s next?” he whispered, resting his head on my shoulder.

Caoimhe had offered for us to stay with her until we figured out our next move, just like she and Jordy would be figuring out theirs.

And we certainly had plenty to figure out. I wasn’t too worried about that, though. We had already proved we could do anything together.

The front door of the apartment swung open, loud enough to be heard from the back of the small place. Jordy had apparently rushed over the moment Caoimhe called to tell him what had happened, and the next thing we knew, Pepper was scampering over to the guest room and nudging the door open with his nose.

“Next is the part where I get to keep you,” I told Eric as I scooped up Pepper and passed him to the person he really wanted to see.

Eric leaned over the happily wiggling dog to kiss me.

Next, I would get to wake up beside him, and for me, that was everything.

Epilogue: One Year Later

Raff